People love eating and drinking outside. Such is the deep, almost primal, desire for outside hospitality that every time a sandwich/milk bar puts out a couple of tables and chairs on the footpath right next to the parked cars, they are always being used.

When Future Food partners with our Clients on redevelopment projects, one of the first stages that we frequently perform is the evaluation of a proposed scheme and how F&B should be incorporated into it. Most frequently this is driven by the architectural scheme and the locating of F&B into the scheme, frequently with non-food priorities and considerations as the backdrop for the decision-making process.

However, F&B has its own set of “built in” priorities and as such adopting a scheme-driven approach frequently demonstrates a recurring set of issues.

Food Halls are not just food courts in different guise.  They are new food destinations that are exciting consumers around the world by putting food, design and experience first.  These new dining meccas are all about hospitality - built on a strategy of the structure of traditional food courts and the success of Eataly and the great food markets of the world. All of this is informed by understanding the importance of modern biophilic design principles which are aimed at enhancing the well-being of users through “green-place” features.

More and more people are opting for modern hospitality spaces with a strong natural theme and overlay when they are choosing where to spend their quality time.

Francis Loughran’s projects and study tours take him far and wide in search of the best food and the best brands when it comes to food. Over the past few weeks Francis has been reviewing some of New Zealand’s newest and hippest new food designations; The Press Hall in Wellington’s CBD (80 Willis Street) and Queen’s Rise in Queen Street, central Auckland. Today, the focus here is on Wellington.

NH Architecture is one of Melbourne’s leading architecture studios and currently they are working on a number of retail precincts where food and hospitality are central to the development. Having partnered with Future Food on a number of projects over the years, we sat down with NH’s Managing Director, Roger Nelson, to talk about his view on food and design and what is considered by an architect when a hospitality precinct is being developed.